DURANGO, Colo. (KREX) - The attempted robber who shot someone on the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation was sentenced on Dec. 16.
Lovell Cassius Benallie, 27, of Kirtland, New Mexico, was sentenced to 166 months (or over 13 years) in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. His prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervision.
“The defendant acted callously and purposelessly,” acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch said in a press release. “Gun violence will not be tolerated on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation and our office reaffirms our intention to vigorously violent crimes on our reservations.”
On Aug. 24, 2023, Benallie and an associate traveled from New Mexico to the Ute Mountain Ute Casino, about 12 miles southwest of Cortez, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. After he finished gambling, Benallie went to a nearby travel center where he approached an elderly Navajo man preparing to do laundry.
Benallie said to the man, "Give me all your money" and pointed a firearm at him. When the man replied, "What money," Benallie fired the gun at the man's leg before fleeing the scene.
The Navajo man was airlifted to Grand Junction for medical treatment. He ended up with serious and enduring injuries.
"This defendant coldly and callously shot a total stranger during an attempted robbery. Any such act of violence on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation gets the full attention of FBI Denver," Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said in the release.
"In this case, we were assisted by the Farmington, New Mexico, Police Department. We will continue to support the Bureau of Indian Affairs and those who live on the reservation by investigating criminal acts and removing the perpetrators from the community."
Benallie had previous felony convictions including aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon in Farmington, New Mexico.
The FBI office in Durango investigated this case along with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.